Priests cannot be replaced by the laity, Pope Benedict explains

cna ^ | September 17, 2009

[NYer]

Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Sep 17, 2009 / 10:27 am (CNA).- In an audience this morning with bishops visiting from Brazil, Pope Benedict XVI advised them on how to respond to the lack of priests, emphasizing that the shortage cannot be solved by having lay people substitute for the clergy.

The Holy Father began his address to the Brazilian prelates by pointing out the difference between the identity of priests and the laity. While the lay faithful share in the "common priesthood," they are not ordained ministers of Christ and His Church. "Hence," the Pope cautioned, "it is important to avoid the secularization of clergy and the 'clericalization' of the laity."

Fulfilling the lay vocation, he explained, involves working to "give expression in real life - also through political commitment - to the Christian view of anthropology and the social doctrine of the Church."

On the other hand, "priests must distance themselves from politics in order to favor the unity and communion of all the faithful, thus becoming a point of reference for everyone," Benedict said.

When dioceses are faced with a lack of priests, the Pope emphasized that they should not resort to "a more active and abundant participation of the laity" since it could take away from their own calling.

"The truth is that the greater the faithful's awareness of their own responsibilities within the Church, the clearer becomes the specific identity and inimitable role of the priest as pastor of the entire community, witness to the authenticity of the faith, and dispenser of the mysteries of salvation in the name of Christ the Head," Benedict XVI stated.

"The function of the clergy is essential and irreplaceable in announcing the Word and celebrating the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist," he insisted, saying that for this reason it is "vital to ask the Lord to send workers for His harvest; and it is necessary that priests express joy in their faithfulness to their identity."

Looking to the future, the Pope made it clear that "the shortage of priests must not come to be considered as a normal or typical state of affairs."

He exhorted the bishops resolve the crisis by combining efforts to "encourage new priestly vocations and find the pastors your dioceses need, helping one another so that all of you have better-trained and more numerous priests to support the life of faith and the apostolic mission."

As the Church celebrates the Year for Priests and the 150th anniversary of the death of the "Cure of Ars," Pope Benedict pointed to the French priest as a model for priests, "especially in living a life of celibacy as a requirement for the total giving of self." This total gift of self is "expressed through that pastoral charity which Vatican Council II presents as the unifying center of a priest's being and actions," he reminded.

The Holy Father ended his address on a positive note, assuring the prelates that "many signs of hope" exist for the future of particular Churches. This future, he said is one that "God is preparing through the dedication and the faithfulness with which you exercise your episcopal ministry."

[NYer]

When dioceses are faced with a lack of priests, the Pope emphasized that they should not resort to "a more active and abundant participation of the laity" since it could take away from their own calling.

He could just as well be addressing some of the bishops in this country, especially mine.

[WVKayaker]

Hebrews 4: "Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts. 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.

12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Jesus is the only factory authorized priest!

[Dutchboy88]

Perfect.

[Ransomed]

I once heard a Paulist priest say that we are very lucky that there is such a priest shortage as it opens new doors for the laity. Worst case of calling black as white I think I have ever heard.

For some reason I read the title and thought this would be about the laity getting rid of priests they don’t like.

Freegards, thanks for all the pings

[fatboy]

Supply and demand.

[netmilsmom]

>>Supply and demand.<<

Spot ON!

[Coleus]

You need priests for the transubstantiation to change ordinary bread and wine into the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ as Jesus Christ commanded at the Last Supper.

You also need priests “In persona Christi” to forgive men’s sins in the sacrament of confession also as Jesus commanded his first bishops.

[m4629]

I am writing a new book about the attempted hijacking of the Ministerial Priesthood by feminazis ..... “barging in at the Last Supper”.

[Campion]

Jesus is the only factory authorized priest!

And Jesus appointed the Apostles to teach in His name, and the Apostles established churches with officers called "elders" (Gk presbyteroi) and "overseers" (Gk episcopoi). That's in your New Testament.

It's from those Greek words that we get the English words "priest" and "bishop" respectively.

[Salvation]

I agree with Pope Benedict!

Hooray — glad to see this!

[wombtotomb]

Ditto. And don’t let it fool ya. The seminaries that are sticking to traditional teachings are bursting at the seams! I cannot wait, just one more year and my son will be adding to that number. It may be rocky for a few years, but they are truly churning out holy priests and sisters for the next generation.

[Mr Rogers]

“It’s from those Greek words that we get the English words “priest” and “bishop” respectively.”

You mean, those married men who were elders and bishops?

Of course, there is no need for a priest unless you are offering a sacrifice...and Jesus isn’t sacrificed over and over again. “But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”

He isn’t on the cross. His blood isn’t being shed. He SAT DOWN (past tense) at the right hand of God.

There is no scriptural basis for priests.

[iowamark]

The New Testament shows that the Christian Church had apostles, bishops, priests, and deacons from the earliest days after Pentecost.

[iowamark]

The Pope made it clear that "the shortage of priests must not come to be considered as a normal or typical state of affairs for the future". In this context he encouraged the prelates "to combine efforts to encourage new priestly vocations and find the pastors your dioceses need, helping one another so that all of you have better-trained and more numerous priests to support the life of faith and the apostolic mission".

Good point. Instead of whining and complaining about the shortage of priests; or simply accepting the shortage as normal, bishops need to make recruiting and training qualified priests their top priority.

[NYer]

Of course, there is no need for a priest unless you are offering a sacrifice...and Jesus isn’t sacrificed over and over again.

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Christ’s bloody sacrifice on Calvary took place once, and it will never be repeated. Jesus is eternally a priest, and a priest’s very nature is to offer sacrifice. In the case of Christ, the eternal sacrifice that he offers is himself. This is why he appears in the book of Revelation as a lamb, standing as though he had been slain (Rev. 5:6). He appears in heaven in the state of a victim not because he still needs to suffer but because for all eternity he re-presents himself to God appealing to the work of the cross, interceding for us (Rom 8:34), and bringing the graces of Calvary to us.

The Mass is a participation in this one heavenly offering. The risen Christ becomes present on the altar and offers himself to God as a living sacrifice. Like the Mass, Christ words at the Last Supper are words of sacrifice, "This is my body . . . this is my blood . . . given up for you." So, the Mass is not repeating the murder of Jesus, but is taking part in what never ends: the offering of Christ to the Father for our sake (Heb 7:25, 9:24). After all, if Calvary didn’t get the job done, then the Mass won’t help. It is precisely because the death of Christ was sufficient that the Mass is celebrated. It does not add to or take away from the work of Christ—it is the work of Christ.

The Ministerial Priesthood
A priest, by definition, is a mediator between God and men. First Peter 2:5–9 tells us, "Like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. . . . But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people." The fact that all baptized Christians are referred to as priests in the New Testament necessarily means it is not a contradiction to say that Christ is our unique priest, mediator, intercessor while affirming the biblical truth that Christians can act as priests, mediators, and intercessors as well.

The key is to understand properly the nature of the body of Christ. Christians do not usurp or diminish the unique priesthood of Christ when they are referred to as priests; they participate in that unique priesthood. So intimate is the union of the baptized with Christ that Paul describes this mystical union as a body (cf. 1 Cor. 12:12–27; Rom. 12:5) with Christ as its head (cf. Eph. 1:22–23). What can be attributed to a hand in the body does not somehow take away from the head. The fact that Christians are priests does not usurp the priesthood of Christ because it is Christ who empowers them to participate in his own priesthood. Indeed, it is Christ (and his priesthood) living in them (cf. Gal. 2:20).

First Peter 2 indicated that all Christians are priests—but not ministerial priests. The ordained ministers of the New Covenant are called apostles (cf. Eph. 4:11), elders (Jas. 5:14), bishops (1 Tim. 3:1), and deacons (1 Tim. 3:8ff). They are not referred to directly with the typical Greek word for "priest," which is hiereus. although the standard noun for priest—hiereus—is not used for New Testament ministers, the verb form of hiereus is. And it is found when Paul refers specifically to his ministry as an apostle. He refers to his ministry as a "priestly service":

"Because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service [Greek: hierourgounta] of the gospel of God" (Rom. 15:15–16).

[JoeFromSidney]

The priest's job is to bring Christ into the world. The laity's job is to take Christ into the world. That means becoming involved in Christianizing the world, not in prancing around the altar like little priests.

[Scythian]

Ahh, the nicolaitans ...

[Mr Rogers]

“In the case of Christ, the eternal sacrifice that he offers is himself. This is why he appears in the book of Revelation as a lamb, standing as though he had been slain...The Mass is a participation in this one heavenly offering. The risen Christ becomes present on the altar and offers himself to God as a living sacrifice...So, the Mass is not repeating the murder of Jesus, but is taking part in what never ends: the offering of Christ to the Father for our sake (Heb 7:25, 9:24)”

Except all of this is contrary to scripture.

The passage you cite in Hebrews 7 says, “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them...He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.”

Hebrews 7.25 says he “always lives to make intercession”, not that he always lives as a perpetual sacrifice. The passage then goes on and says of his sacrifice, “he did this once for all when he offered up himself.”

Past tense. Not present, not continuous - PAST TENSE!

The second passage you cite proves MY point:

“For Christ has entered...to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly...for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”

Notice once again the verb tense: “so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many”. Having been offered once - PAST TENSE.

There are verbs available that would have indicated an ongoing, perpetual sacrifice that could be re-presented - but God didn’t USE those verbs. Instead, God uses the PAST TENSE.

In the NT, we are ALL priests, offering up a sacrifice of thanksgiving and good deeds. It is completely contrary to scripture to teach that Jesus is a perpetual sacrifice. Your church may teach it, but it conflicts with the Word of God.

[Mr Rogers]

Sorry, I neglected to discuss your final out of context scripture...

“He refers to his ministry as a “priestly service”:

“Because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service [Greek: hierourgounta] of the gospel of God” (Rom. 15:15–16).”

Here is the ENTIRE sentence:

“But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”

So we see that Paul’s priestly service is “the offering of the Gentiles”. Not the offering of JESUS in Eucharist, but an offering of the Gentiles. This is like all of us, offering a sacrifice of good deeds to God. It has NOTHING to do with a priest claiming to offer Jesus Christ’s blood and flesh.